


Snow and Souvenirs

by FanficsbyVe, Muffymaria



Series: Sitting in Silence [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bucky needs a hug, Christmas, F/M, No bean cans were harmed in the making of this story, winter feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-20
Updated: 2016-12-20
Packaged: 2018-09-10 17:57:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8926720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanficsbyVe/pseuds/FanficsbyVe, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Muffymaria/pseuds/Muffymaria
Summary: There aren’t many things that manage to irritate Bucky Barnes, to truly get under his skin. However, the harsh and bitter Romanian winter had the ability to do just that. It has been months since he left the United States and fled to Europe with the help of his ally, Liv Montgomery. It is during the jolly time of the year that Bucky is caught off guard by an unexpected surprise.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Here is a christmas special and a sort of sequel/intermission for our story "Bloody Brick Road" (if you have no idea who the other main character in this fic is, you might want to check that story out), which coincides with the season and the fact that Christmas is upon us. It was a fun thing to write, we apologize for any mistakes, Ve and I wrote this while tired after long days of work.  
> Enjoy, leave kudos, drop a comment, but most importantly, happy holidays!

**Bucharest, Romania.**

 

There weren’t many things that managed to irritate Bucky Barnes, to truly get under his skin. However, the harsh and bitter Romanian winter had the ability to do just that. The bone chilling winds blasted through the capital city of Bucharest, letting the softer layers of snow get carried away and fall into the streets. Bucky pulled his basketball cap further over his head. He refused to wear one of the many giant furred hats that were being sold in many shops around the city. It muffled his hearing and they made him look ridiculous. He remembered the picture he sent over to Liv, just to prove his point. The long silence from the other side of the long distance correspondence software made Barnes assume his friend was rolling on her desk in laughter. Her use of the four-lettered acronym confirmed his assumptions.

It has been two months since he had stepped into the boat that crossed the Atlantic Ocean, and brought him to Europe. Barnes wasn’t met with too much trouble, just a few extra bribes here and there he had to make, but he somehow managed to reach his current hiding spot. Which consisted of a basic apartment on the outskirts of the capital.

His friend had done her work well. The apartment had everything he needed and was located in a poorer but relatively quiet district of the capital. It was just the right place to avoid attracting attention and just quietly go about his day. Money was not an object either. Liv had pulled some strings and provided him with just the right job. The kind of job that would allow him to make ends meet yet would keep him out of the public eye and required just the sort of thing he’d be suited for. As an added bonus, he was hired with no questions asked.

The door to his employer’s office opened, and a middle aged man stepped out. Cosmin Dumitrescu was a local, was born and brought up in the tougher parts of the city, and was one of the main loan sharks of Bucharest. However, he was one of the few with actual morals. He considered his business just that. A business, one that should aid his clients rather than extort them. Yet all businesses needed a bit of protection and muscle, especially when some people would mistake compassion for weakness. That was where Bucky came in. The loanshark made his way to Barnes, a handwritten list in one hand and a lit cigarette in the other. Barnes motioned to the list with a nod of the head. “How many today, boss?”

The loan shark took a puff out of his cigarette, and let out the smoke with a long, tired sigh. “Enough to make me question the intelligence of these people. Half of them owe me thousands of  _ lei _ , and fled the city. Yet, they think just because it is Christmas Eve, I will let them off the hook.” The older man sighed. “Let’s get going. The sooner this is done, the sooner you and I can go back home and enjoy Christmas.”

“Sounds good to me.”

The man looked him over. “Do you have any special plans?”

Even though Bucky knew he meant well and simply asked out of friendly politeness, but it still stung a little. As time had gone by here in Romania, more and more of his memories returned. Including those of Christmas. The winters back in New York were just as cold, and the street would also have thick layers of snows on its sidewalks. Images of his mother and father getting in a turkey from the butcher shop on Christmas Eve, whilst he and his younger sisters were building snowmen in the streets. He remembered the meals, the surprise on his sisters’ face when they would unwrap the dolls he’d manage to get for them. There was a year where his father gave him his first baseball. While on one side, he was rather happy to have such memories again. Still, alone across the ocean with most of his family likely dead or very old, they were rather bitter this time of year. 

He told himself to smile and shrugged. “I’ll make myself some food, watch some Christmas movies. Nothing special, really. Just relaxing.”

Cosmin gave him a brief grin at that. “You will probably need that last one after we’re done.”

The former assassin nodded and within minutes, they were walking through the streets of Bucharest. His employer’s earlier statement was spot on. While some paid up without issue and genuinely wished the both of them a lovely Christmas, there were also those who were less compliant. A lot of the people who had left the city to avoid returning the money they owed at the same occasion, had returned to celebrate the festivities with their friends and families. Cosmin was doing a stellar job as usual maintaining a professional attitude, especially when he would address the person in public. Obviously, most of the people would say they didn’t have any cash on them. Which was a dumb excuse, since the loanshark carried around a portable bank card reader, and insist on them making a transfer. If they indeed wouldn’t have the funds to pay him back, that was when Bucky stepped in. Most of the indebted were accompanied by friends and family, people who wouldn’t hesitate to step in and get in the way. Fortunately, it only took Barnes one icy glare for them to back away. Or a gentle shove across the table. Whichever worked. He’d then proceed to retrieve the contents from his employer’s former client pockets or purse, and take out anything they would miss. Driver’s license, I.D., picture of a loved one, card to a local strip club, whatever worked as leverage. In the end, Cosmin always got his money back. Then, there was Mr. Bellic. The last one in the list. He has been gone for nearly two years, but from what Cosmin’s contact said, he was back in town to visit his lover before heading back to his wife and children. Barnes and Mr. Dumitrescu went up the stairs of the medium sized apartment complex, and knocked on the door of the the last apartment on the fourth floor. A petite, blond young adult woman opened the door, wise enough to keep the latch on.

“Yes? What do you want?”

“Good afternoon, miss. We are here looking for Iacob. We are old friends, and he told us to hold onto some money for him. We are here to give it back.”

In any other circumstances, a normal, rational individual would never let strangers into their apartment, especially in this side of town. But, one would be surprised by how many doors opened when money was involved. 

The next hour or so was spent having tea with the woman and Bucky tried his best not to laugh as Cosmin weaved a perfect tale of bullshit about his relationship with Bellic. Their host just lapped it up and as the loanshark came up with yet another “embarrassing childhood incident”, he quickly shoved a cookie in his mouth not to start howling and give it away. 

Still, his boss’s colorful stories paled compared to the sheer hilarity of Mr. Bellic’s face when he finally stepped through the door. The widened eyes, the gaping mouth, the overall expression of a dying fish, topped off by the happy squeals of his mistress, telling him that his “college roommates” were here to visit. It was one of the funniest things he had seen. At least, right until the moment Mr. Bellic bolted and hurled himself through the nearest window.

Both Barnes and Dumitrescu expected to hear a big wet splatter and crash come from the street below. That would have been the case, if it weren’t for the fire exit. The loud sounds of feet stomping on metal resonated outside. The man was fleeing, and quite rapidly. Bucky and Cosmic exchanged a look of exasperation, and Barnes passed by the kitchen before making his way out the apartment out the window as well. His enhanced hearing picked up each running footstep of the fleeing Mr. Bellic. Once outside, Bucky hurried to the side of the apartment complex, just in time to spot the escapee let himself drop from the emergency ladder, and bolt down the alley and towards the street on the other end. Barnes held up the object he borrowed from the mistress’ kitchen in his left hand, reached back, took aim… and landed a large can of beans on the older man’s head with such a perfect shot, that would put the best American pitchers to shame.

His makeshift projectile bounced off the man’s head with a loud thunk and with a somersault worthy of a circus act, the man then kissed sweet lady cement. As he lay there, letting out a groan and wailing something about a concussion, Bucky took his chance. He calmly walked over to the man, ignoring the flood of Romanian curses that came his way. 

“You’re three months behind, Bellic. Pay up and we’ll go away.”

There was more grumble and cursing, followed by a heavy and annoyed ‘ _ Fine’.  _ Less than an hour later, Bucky and his employer were back in his office. They managed to round up all the payments of the day just in time for dinner. Cosmin then closed the door, locked it and lit himself his fifteenth cigarette of the day. “Well, that is all then. Time for me to go home before my wife decides to give my dinner to the dogs.” He handed Bucky an envelope fat with bills. Barnes didn’t need to count it. He knew he could trust the man to being honest in terms of payment. “There is a Christmas bonus in it. Good work today, I’ll see you on the 27th.”

Barnes gave his employer a nod, wishing him well and then walked off, sure to put his money for the holidays in the inside of his jacket. He pulled the collar of his winter jacket up, the night being cold enough to get under his skin. His mind drifted to whatever he had to eat for this evening. There were some cups of instant noodles, orange juice, pre-made hamburgers and some fruit. Hardly a fancy Christmas dinner, but good enough for him.

It didn’t take him too long to reach his apartment. He used his key to let himself into the lobby. He smiled and nodded at the janitor, who was quickly finishing his job of mopping up before he would no doubt head to celebrate with his family as well. Barnes made his way up the stairs, and finally reached his apartment door. He was just about to open it when he suddenly noticed a package at the side of the door.

It was medium sized, the cardboard box neatly secured by tape to survive the trip, and addressed to his alias. His first instinct was to step back and run for cover. He never trusted any strange and unexpected packages. The fact that the address on it was types and stuck on with glue didn’t make things better either. He was just trying to remember all the possible ways to defuse a bomb when suddenly, he noticed an odd little squiggle on the side of it.  It looked like… a happy, fluffy dog. Something most people would simply gloss over. Still, he knew better. A relieved sigh left his mouth.

Liv had apparently sent him a package. 

Already feeling better again, he stooped down and picked it up, then quickly brought it inside the apartment with him. He locked the door behind him and quickly set the box on the table. Grabbing a knife from the kitchen, he started to cut through the tape to open it. He pulled away the plastic filling inside to look at the contents, only to smile. 

The first thing he noticed was a beautiful, old-fashioned Christmas card. It had a picture of New York, during the 40’s, with the style of the old advertising posters, with holiday wishes. On the back was a handwritten message. “ _ Hey B. Here is a bunch of little somethings to boost your Christmas spirit. A lovely collection of our adventures of this year. Hopefully there will be more in the upcoming one. Holiday cheers, L.” _

Her sweet message brought a smile onto his face. He set the card aside to check what else was in there. A look of immense delight crossed his face when he spotted Christmas cookies and chocolates, only for him to burst out laughing when he saw what else was in there.

The “Evading HYDRA” collection was everything the name promised to be. Besides, a video and remix of his video message to Blackburn, it had a scorched metal chunk of a blown-up HYDRA van, a pin from the National Archives, a picture of her family’s farm (with the shed in clear view and Corsair and Kaizer wearing Christmas hats), a crumpled soda can and, in a touch of really dark humor, a book about American trains. Yet the piece de la resistance was a full membership card for a cupcake place, with a little note saying “the next one is on me”. 

“Definitely keeping you to that, Liv…”

Still, despite devoting a lot of the package to gag gifts at the expense of HYDRA, it was clear the woman had also thought about actually looking out for him. The package also contained Graham crackers, marshmallows, caramel treats, instant chocolate milk and, to top it off, what looked like a tiny Christmas tree. 

He practically jumped when he picked it up and it started to shake , a joyful rendition of “Jingle Bells” coming from somewhere in its electric bowels. Even when the toy was done with the music, Bucky’s eyes were still glued on it, still processing what he saw. In the end, he shook his head, and laughed. Of all the things she could’ve sent, Liv wrapped and shipped over this...over the top decoration. Typical. 

Still, he couldn’t say he didn’t like it. Heck, he liked the fact that she had bothered to send something. That she still looked out for him in her own way. It was nice to know. 

He grinned as he picked up the singing Christmas tree and placed it on the improvised bookshelf. Looked like he was going to have a little bit of holiday cheer after all. He could only hope that his own gift, that he sent weeks before, would do the same to her.

 

**Annapolis, Maryland, USA.**

 

“Liv, didn’t expect you to still visit me at this time!”

Olivia ‘Liv’ Montgomery walked into one of the pawn shops she co-owned in Annapolis, a large, odd decorative statue in her hands, accompanied by her dog, Corsair, who carefully stayed out of his owner’s way. She smiled to Rashonda, the woman behind the counter as she handed it over to her.

“I still had some pay to collect at the last minute. This was part of it. I figured that maybe the pawnshop can sell it?” 

The owner of the pawnshop didn’t answer right away, instead carefully examining the statue. It was something a client had left behind for her, serving as payment for her latest ‘ _ deep investigation _ ’ job. Of course, he’d also been so generous to give her actual money, but what should have been a simple search and retrieve job had ended up with a couple of fistfights, a wolverine, the tears of her enemies, underpants set on fire and a car up a tree. The client had definitely not minded how it had turned out, however, and had given her this idol to show his gratitude. Something that she was sure would garner at least another few hundred bills. 

Clearly, she had a pretty good idea for estimates by now, no doubt a side effect of selling off her enemies’ loot so many times. Rashonda gave her an approving look.

“I definitely think we can sell this. We can easily ask around $800 for one of these. They’re collectors items. You want me to let you know when we sell it so you can collect your share? The usual?”

Liv shrugged her shoulders smiling. “Sounds good to me.”

The clerk nodded and took away the statue from the counter top. She carefully carried to the back of the shop, not doubt to have an expert see if there was any cleaning up to do on the idol. She heard the young woman call back to her business partner. “On your way to the farm for Christmas?”

Liv chuckled and eyed her car outside. A pile of presents peeked out from the trunk’s window, along with her luggage, and a carefully wrapped potato pie. “Yeah. The usual two-day event of decadent meals, non-stop holiday music and at least one viewing of  _ A Christmas Story _ .  And call me sappy, but I’m looking forward to it. Probably helps I have a family that actually gets along though.”

The owner of the pawnshop chuckled. “Well, I’m going to close up shop and get going soon. My fiancée and I are expected at her parents’ home. That turkey isn’t going to cut itself.”

Liv smiled, reaching down to pet Corsair. She was just about to wish her a Merry Christmas when Rashonda stopped her. 

“Oh, before you go, a package arrived here with your name. Don’t worry, Mike and I scanned the contents. It’s nothing that might spontaneously combust.” 

“You mean it isn’t the long lost copy of a working Windows Vista?” Both women chuckled. It was a joke the two had, a reference to a man who tried to unsuccessfully scam Rashonda out of her money for a CD. It made for yet another funny story to tell around a meal with friends and family. Rashonda reached for under the counter, pushed aside a few boxes, and brought up a postage package. She removed the post-it she had placed earlier on it, a visual reminder no doubt. “Want me to get you a box-cutter?”

Liv shook her head, her brain meanwhile trying to work out just who would send her a package via one of her shops right before the holidays. She simply took it from Rashonda, quietly weighing it in her arms.

“That’s all?”

The owner nodded. “That’s all. Merry Christmas, Liv. And drive safely.”

“Merry Christmas to you too. Tell Kristy and her folks I said “hi”.”

Liv got a thumb’s up for a reply and she made her way out of the store and through the cold wind and snow. She immediately got into her car, followed by Corsair, who didn’t waste any time to jump onto the passenger seat, where his giant car blanket was laid ready for him. Liv sat back behind the wheel of the car, package in hand, and took a closer look at the address. There was the shop’s address in the “Recipient” section, but the “Sender” information was left blank. However, upon a closer inspection on the postage stamps, she recognized one of them as being from Romania. A small smile spread in Liv’s face, and she used one of her keys in her keychain to tear the tape on top of the box. She pushed aside balls of newspaper and finally fished out an object wrapped in more newspaper pages. There was also a simple Christmas card, with a cartoony looking Santa Claus with a speech bubble, wishing “Happy Holidays”. On the back was a neatly handwritten sentence and signature.

“ _ Merry Christmas. Signed, BBGun.” _

Liv chuckled. The use of his online chat nickname was the last clue she needed to confirm that Barnes had sent her this package. She placed the card on the dashboard of her car and quickly released the gift from all the Romanian newspapers. Once the present was free of its improvised wrapping, the young woman stared at a stuffed, joyfully looking snowman. Although from its weight and from what she could feel at the base of the toy, it was an electronical one. She curiously picked it up, fumbling around for some kind of button to press. When she found it, she frowned as the snowman started to jump up and down, repeating a single line in a chipmunk-like voice.

“ _ GET THE DOG _ !”

It only took a few seconds for the gears in her head to start turning again and when they did, Liv burst out into such hysterical laughter that it scared the actual dog to whom the line was dedicated. Corsair started barking nervously as Liv hung over the wheel howling, accidentally honking the horn at least once or twice as she desperately tried to recover. Clearly, her former client in Romania had his own favorite moment of their time together…

When she did finally manage to regain her breath, she wiped the tears from her eyes and turned back to her dog. She petted the canine’s head to calm him down, then sat back to admire the snowman a little longer. 

She had to admit she liked the fact that Bucky sent her something. He didn’t have to. In fact, she’d be fine with it if he only checked in with her when he had to and just went on with his life. Still, she actually quite enjoyed them remaining in contact. To actually talk to another supersoldier that wasn’t sent to kill her. She guessed that by now, she did consider him something of a friend and it was nice to know that he thought the same by sending her a present, even if it was a silly snowman plushie that recorded messages. 

She put the plushie in the seats behind her, then put on her seatbelt and started the car. If she was lucky, she could make it to Davidsonsville with time to spare. There, her family waited and a lovely few days of simply sitting back and enjoying hot chocolate, the warmth of a fireplace and gloriously sappy entertainment. 

Perhaps, one day, when all of this shit died down and the Winter Soldier lay completely forgotten, she could ask him to come back. To come over to America for the holidays. No doubt her dad wouldn’t mind cooking for one more. That way, he could have an actual Christmas again, amongst people who cared. Until then, however, they would make due with communication software, packages, goodwill and cheer that was strong enough to cross continents.

“Merry Christmas, Buck. You deserve it.”


End file.
